BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Radiator Labs was named the top winner of the MIT Clean Energy Prize for
a radiator retrofit design that increases the energy efficiency of steam
heating systems. The MIT Clean Energy Prize is a national competition
founded in 2008 by MIT, the U.S. Department of Energy and NSTAR to
accelerate the pace of clean energy entrepreneurship.

“This is an exciting and innovative design that when commercialized will
noticeably reduce the cost of heating apartments, offices and other
types of buildings in New England and other cold weather regions,” said
Tom May, President and CEO of Northeast Utilities, the parent company of
NSTAR, a major sponsor of the competition. “This competition has shown
once again that the road to clean energy is being paved by young
entrepreneurs.”

Radiator Labs was founded by Columbia University students to increase
the energy efficiency of steam-fed radiator heating systems that can
waste up to 30 percent of energy due to overheating. This is
accomplished by installing low-cost, drop-in radiator enclosures that
control the amount of heat transferred in a room. Radiator Labs’ design
also incorporates wireless capabilities, enabling better control of
boiler systems to equalize temperatures across building spaces to burn
fuel only when necessary and to increase thermal comfort.

“Adopting this cost-effective technology in the millions of existing
U.S. housing units with steam radiator systems has the potential to save
hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs per year and reduce
carbon emissions by over 6 million tons – equivalent to taking 1.25
million automobiles off the road,” said Marshall Cox of Radiator Labs.
“Winning this competition enables us to help bring this technology to
the marketplace so these benefits can be realized.”

Now in its fifth year, the MIT Clean Energy Prize has launched about
thirty new companies that have raised almost $90 million in venture
capital and government funding to develop clean energy products,
technologies and services. Open to university students, the competition
aims to promote the most commercially viable solutions to reduce fossil
fuel dependence, lower carbon emissions and spur economic growth.